Transition to the Fall Lifestyle

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By Wendy Himes; Professional Organizer- Parker

Posted
9/22/12

Happy fall, y’all! It is finally cooling down (at least at night) and it’s time to think about those fall clothes receiving a more prominent place in your closet for a while. Put away those super light summer clothes; the linens, tanks, flip flops (which should really go in the trash because they are so often associated with plantar fasciaitis AND they ruin those pedicure heels.) If you insist on keeping them, toss them anyway. You should get new ones every year because they really get too worn down to have any support after an entire summer of use.

Then bring out the lighter warm clothes – the sweaters and long sleeved t-shirts, pants and cute jackets. As you pull items out and can view them with fresh eyes, get rid of whatever you don’t adore or isn’t just super handy to have. Consignment stores for women and children are taking fall items now and charity always loves seasonal clothes.

As you rotate your clothes, don’t forget the shoes! Bye bye sandals, hello loafers, mules and clogs. I recommend shoeboxes for all shoes that you aren’t using this season and for formal shoes that need protection. Daily shoes love a handy build in shelf or three-tiered rack to set them on. Shoeboxes can be rotated to hold summer shoes now, and winter shoes next spring. Simply label the end of the lid with a Sharpie with the shoe that is inside it now and label the other end with the shoe that will be in there on it’s off-season. “Black clogs” at one end and “Red Sandal” at the other end.

Do you have a tub for fall items? A big, clear box with a helpful fall colored lid that holds all things fall works beautifully and smells oh so fallish if you keep scented soap in it. If you need more than one tub, you can separate fall/Halloween and fall/Thanksgiving. Some items obviously straddle both holidays but I bet that you can figure out how best to arrange your own items for storage.

Seasonal candles are wonderful and really put us all in the mood for cooler days and turning leaves, don’t they? But for those of us whom chemically altered beeswax with a string wick brings on a multitude of allergy symptoms ranging from sinus headaches to irritability, a big pot of water on the stove simmering with cinnamon, cloves and vanilla hits the spot too. Just be sure to periodically add more water. “Burning cinnamon saucepan” is a less appealing scent and can turn dangerous quickly.

If you’re looking for a cute Halloween costume, the consignment stores for children have many darling, low priced items. My favorite store is Kotton Kids on Parker Rd. and Main Street in Parker. If your kiddos last year’s costumes are in good shape, then those stores are a great place to TAKE yours as well. Remember – every season lends the opportunity to renew, purge and reveal itself in a new light. So go grab yourself a pumpkin spice latte and bring a fresh face to your home this fall.